Tempo-controller for piano-players.



E. T. TURNER TEMPO CONTROLLER FOR PIANO PLAYERS, APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18,1911.

1,131,183. Patented Mar.9,1915.

2 SEBETSSHEET l- WW E. T. TURNEY. TEMPO CONTROLLER FOB. PIANO PLAYERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18,191].- I 1,131,183. Patented Mar.9, 1915.

2 SHBETSSHEBT 2.

fla /2% 1 fiw a z y UNITED STATES PATENT oric EUGENE T. TURNEY, 91 NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T6

AMERICAN PLAYER ACTION COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION U3 NEW YORK.

Application filed September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE T. TURNEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of Net; York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tempo- Controllers for Piano-Players, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tempo controlling mechanism for piano players, and has special reference to increasing the sensitiveness of such mechanism so that more delicate modulations of the time or tempo may be easily obtained.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is an elevation of my invention partially in section; Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the tracker-board and control aperture; Fig. 3 is a fragmental view of a tracker board and music roll embodying my invention; and Fig. 4 is a fragmental view of a tracker board showing my improved control aperture.

The reference numeral, 2, designates the usual tracker board employed in piano players, above and below which are mounted music roll spools, 3, 3, and over which and between said spools passes the music sheet, 4.

The music roll spools, 3, 3, are connected by any suitable power transmitting mechanism, 5, with a pneumatic motor, 6, which is caused to move by exhausting the air from it thereby developing the potentiality of the atmospheric pressure. A tube, 7, by means of which the air is exhausted from the motor, passes to a compartment 9 in a valve easing 8, in which there is another compartment, 10, communicating by a port, 11, with the compartment 9. A tube, 12, passes from the compartment, 10, to the pump (not shown). A valve, 13, controls the port, 11, and is mounted upon a valve stem, 14, which has hearings in and which extends out of the casing, 8, and a helical spring, 15, mounted about the valve stem, 14, holds the valve, 13, normally open. A pneumatic or bellows, 16, is mounted upon the casing, 8, and has an arm, 17, extending over the valve stem, 14, and adapted to force the valve stem inwardly and close the port when the bellows is collapsed.

A reduced channel, 18, in which there is a bleed hole, 19, establishes communication between the bellows, 16, and compartment,

Specification e TEMPO-CONTROLLER FOR PIANO-PLAYERS.

-tt rsla n I Patentedliiar.9,1915.

1911. Serial No. 649,851.

10, so that if there were 'no other source of air supply to the bellows the air would be exhausted therefrom, thereby causing the bellows to be collapsed by the atmospheric pressure and the port, 11, to be closed, which would shut ofi the motor. A channel, 20, however, is provided which leads from the interior of the bellows, 16, to the ,tracker board, 2, where it communicates with a triangular aperture or port, 21, disposed in the path of the music sheet, and preferably near one edge thereof, so as not to interfere with the usual note perforations.

In the 'music sheet is provided a line of perforations, 22, which, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, is caused to bend or undulate over that portion of the music sheet which passes over the triangular opening, 21, so as to .pass more or less'transversely across portions, which by reason of the angularity of the opening, are of diiferent widths or cross sections.

It will now be seen that if there is a reasonably uniform number of perforations in a givenlength of line, a most delicately graduated extent of opening exposed at one time above the port, 21, may be secured by making the line of perforations traverse a path of suitable length across said port. It, of course, being understood that the amount of air admitted through these perforations determines the amount of distension of the bellows, 16, the position of the valve, 13, and thereby the amount of air exhausted from the motor, 6, and thereby the speed of the motor, and rate of travel of the music sheet? I do not in the present application claim the motor herein described, the same being claimed in my application No. 649,850 filed concurrently herewith.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 1. A pneumatic tempo-controller in combination'with means for varying the pres- W'ithmeans for exhausting air therefrom, a

straight line.

2 A pneumatic controller in combination triangular inlet port to said controller and a movable sheet having a meandering line of perforations which pass over said port 'as the sheet is advanced.

3. The combination of a motor, a sheet moved thereby, a part having a triangular port, said sheet having an undulating series ofperforations in position to pass over said portas the sheet is advanced, and pneumatic means communicating with said. port for controlling the speed of said motor.

4. In a piano player in combination with a music sheet having auxiliary perforations, a tracker board having a triangular port in the path of said perforations, said perforations being shaped and arranged to vary the opening through said port as the sheet advances and means controlled by the air passing through said port for controlling the movement of said sheet.

5. In a piano player, a motor for advancing a music sheet, a part over which said'sh'eet passes, said part having "a single port, in combination with a music sheet hav with each other ing openings out-of line positioned to pass over said port and to automatically vary the area of opening through said port as said music sheet advances in a straight line, and means for controlling the operation of said motor by the area of opening through said port.

6. A pneumatic controller in combination with a movable sheet, said controller having a triangular inlet port increasing 1n width from one end to the other in a direction,

EUGENE T. TURNEY.

Witnesses EDNA M. HALL, Monms Cnnrnonn, Jr. 

